How to disable ads in new look Xbox 360 Dashboard

A few days ago Microsoft released an update for the Xbox Live service that led to some early problems for some users trying to log on. We now have an article looking at how users can disable ads in the new look Xbox 360 Dashboard.

According to an article on CVG some Xbox Live users have worked out how to disable the ads in the latest Dashboard update. Some users have complained how ads seem to get prominence since the latest update was released, and some clever users on the Reddit forums have come up with a solution.

They have managed to block the rad.msn.com server that is used by Microsoft to gets ads onto the Xbox 360. First off you block the domain via the router that will bring up a 404 error code if you try and access it from a PC. Another option is to use OpenDNS that can block specific websites.

Before you attempt to achieve this it is at your own risk, so first up you need to sign up for a free OpenDNS account and add a network for your current IP address. Then you need to go to Advanced Settings and to Domain Typos. Here you have to check the box Enable Typo Correction and apply.

Now you need to go to Web Content Filtering settings and set the level to None, and under Manage Individual Domains enter rad.msn.com and select Always Block. After this you need to click Add Domain. Now go to the Xbox 360 system settings and select Network Settings to Your Connection and Configure Network.

Select DNS settings and manual before entering the OpenDNS IP addresses for the primary and secondary servers, which are 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220. Now the hard drive cache may need clearing to completely get rid of the ads. To achieve this go back to System Settings and Storage before selecting Hard Drive and pressing Y and Clear System Cache.

Doing this may mean you have to re-download any game updates for anything you play though, and remember only do this if the ads are really bothering you that much.